Samsung Introduces Smart Windshield for Motorcycles

Samsung Electronics in collaboration with Yamaha Italy has introduced a concept of a heads-up display for motorcycle windshields. The technology appears to consist of a smart phone app and a wirelessly controlled projector in the windshield. Scroll down for the video from Yamaha.

Samsung calls this concept “Smart Windshield,” although the real smarts come from the phone app – the windshield just happens to be a convenient and safe place to project project the information from the phone. Based on the news release and brief video below, the heads up display can be used to show GPS directions, incoming call information, and text messages. There does not appear to be any interactivity with the data displayed, however, if your helmet is equipped with a Bluetooth headset, you could theoretically screen your calls and decide which ones to take. According to the news release, the app also enables automated messages letting callers and text-ers know that you are riding, and will respond to them later.

While the purist riders among us may find the prospect of this technology to be an unnecessary distraction or even a safety hazard, others may see it as a welcome relief and a safer option than constantly glancing down at the phone in the tankbag pocket, or trying to read the tiny screen of the GPS mounted on the handlebars, or fiddling with non-glove-friendly controls. As with most things, this will come down to personal choice, and you will likely have a bit of time to make up your mind – this product is still in the concept stage, and the commercial availability dates have not ben announced.

You can read the news release on the Yamaha Italy site. (This page is in Italian, so use Google translate in Chrome browser or another translation engine of your choice)